Pointing and Belonging | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 这是什么？

   What is this?

   这

   this

   是

   is

   什么

   what

   More detail

   这 means “this” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun: it points to an item understood as relatively near the speaker or in the current focus. The contrasting form in the supplied context is 那, “that,” for something farther away or less immediately present. Example: 这是书。— “This is a book.” 是 means “is” here. It is the copular verb used to link a subject with an identifying noun or noun phrase. In the reusable pattern 这是什么？, 是 connects “this” with the thing being asked about; it does not itself mean “what.” Example: 这是茶。— “This is tea.” 什么 means “what.” It is an interrogative pronoun asking for the identity or type of an unspecified thing. In this sentence it follows 是, producing the identification-question pattern 这是什么？—literally, “This is what?” Chinese normally keeps this question word in the position where the requested information would occur, rather than moving it to the beginning. Example: 那是什么？— “What is that?” Together, 这 + 是 + 什么 forms a question asking for the identity of the item being pointed out: “What is this?” The question is neutral and reusable; replace 这 with 那 to ask about “that,” as in the supplied contrasting example.

2. 那是什么？

   What is that?

   那

   that

   是

   is / be

   什么

   what

   More detail

   那 means “that” here. It is a demonstrative used for a referent away from the speaker or treated as distal. The context contrasts it with 这 in 这是什么？, “What is this?” The specific thing referred to by 那 is not identified in the supplied sentence. 那 does not change for grammatical gender or number in this use. 是 means “to be” and links the referent with the information being requested. In this sentence it has the same form regardless of the subject’s person or number; Chinese does not add an English-style verb ending here. A reusable identification pattern is A 是 B, “A is B.” 什么 means “what.” It asks for the identity or kind of an unspecified thing. It is different from 谁, which asks about a person, as in the contextual sentence 那是谁？, “Who is that?” Together, 那 + 是 + 什么 forms the question pattern “That is what?” In natural English word order, this is “What is that?” The question asks the listener to identify the referent indicated by 那; it does not specify what that referent is.

3. 那是谁？

   Who is that?

   那

   that; that one

   是

   be; is

   谁

   who

   More detail

   那 means “that” or “that one.” Here, in combination with 谁, it refers to the person being identified; the fixed translation confirms the intended reading. As a demonstrative pronoun, 那 can stand on its own rather than modifying an expressed noun. 是 means “to be” and links the subject with an identification. In Mandarin Chinese, 是 does not change for person or number: 我是 means “I am,” 他是 means “he is,” and 他们是 means “they are.” Example: 她是老师。 — “She is a teacher.” 谁 means “who” and asks for a person’s identity. It does not change for singular or plural. Compare 什么 (“what”), which asks about a thing or information, and 哪一个 (“which one”), which asks the listener to choose from specified options. Together, the pattern 那 + 是 + 谁？ means “Who is that?” 那 identifies the subject as “that one,” 是 links it to an identity, and 谁 supplies the unknown person. The question mark marks the sentence as a question.

4. 哪一个是你的？

   Which one is yours?

   哪一个

   which one

   是

   is

   你的

   yours

   More detail

   哪一个 asks “which one.” 哪 is the question word “which,” and 一个 means “one” in this selection pattern. Use 哪一个 when choosing one item from an understood set; the noun being selected does not need to be repeated. Example: 你要哪一个？ — “Which one do you want?” 是 means “to be” and links the selected item with its owner or description. In this sentence it has the same form regardless of the subject’s person or number. Example: 这是书。 — “This is a book.” 你的 means “yours” here. It consists of 你 (“you”) plus 的, which marks possession. 你的 can also come before a noun, as in 你的书 — “your book”; when the noun is understood, as in this sentence, 你的 stands alone as “yours.” The form 你 identifies the possessor as “you,” while 的 does not express a number by itself. Together, 哪一个 identifies an unknown choice, 是 links that choice to an owner, and 你的 supplies the owner: “Which one is yours?”

5. 这个是我的。

   This one is mine.

   这个

   this one

   是

   is

   我的

   mine

   More detail

   这个 means “this one” here. It is built from 这, “this,” and 个, a common classifier that also appears when referring to an unspecified individual item. In this sentence, 这个 stands on its own as the subject; it does not name what kind of item is being identified. Example: 这个很好。= “This one is good.” 是 is the copula, used here to connect the subject 这个 with the identifying phrase 我的. The pattern A 是 B presents B as the identity or category associated with A. Example: 那个是你的。= “That one is yours.” 我的 means “mine” here. It consists of 我, “I/me,” and 的, which marks possession or lets the possessive phrase stand in place of an understood noun. Thus 我的 can mean “my one” or “mine” when the possessed thing is clear. The form 我的 does not change for the number or gender of the thing possessed. Example: 这是我的。= “This is mine.” Together, 这个 是 我的 means “This one is mine.” The sentence identifies the item referred to as 这个 as belonging to the speaker, expressed by 我的. The contrast with the nearby forms 这个 “this one” and 那个 “that one” illustrates how Chinese can distinguish demonstratives by relative distance, while 你的 means “yours” and 我的 means “mine.”

6. 那个是你的。

   That one is yours.

   那个

   that one

   是

   is

   你的

   yours

   More detail

   那个 means “that one” here. It can stand on its own as a demonstrative pronoun, referring to an item that is more distant or already identifiable in the situation. The contrasting form in the preceding sentence is 这个, “this one.” Example: 这个还是那个？ — “This one or that one?” 是 is the copula meaning “be/is.” In this sentence it links the identified item to its owner. A reusable pattern is A 是 B — “A is B.” Example: 这是书。 — “This is a book.” 你的 means “yours” here. It consists of 你, “you,” plus 的, which marks possession; 你的书 means “your book.” When the possessed noun is understood, as in this sentence, 你的 can stand alone and mean “yours.” Compare 我的, “mine,” in the preceding sentence. Example: 这是谁的？— 是我的。 — “Whose is this? — It’s mine.” Together, 那个 是 你的 identifies a particular item as belonging to the person addressed: “That one is yours.” In ordinary writing, the Chinese sentence is written without spaces: 那个是你的。